“Neuronal basis of decision making at the single trial level” published in Cell

Our paper entitled “Cerebellar neurodynamics predict decision timing and outcome on single-trial level” has been published in Cell.

In this work we have investigated the neuronal basis of motor planning and decision making at single-trial level, at single-cell resolution and on the level of the whole brain. To study this, we have combined high-speed volumetric calcium imaging based on light-field microscopy (LFM) previously developed in our lab with a new learning paradigm in larval zebrafish for operant conditioning, Relief Of Aversive Stimulus by Turn (ROAST). We have demonstrated that that decision making relies on integration and coordination of information across different brain regions. Within the brain-wide network, we discovered a particularly strong preparatory activity in the cerebellum which allowed us to quantitatively predict both, the time point and the outcome of the decisions up to ~10 seconds in advance of the animal’s behavior on a trial-by-trial basis. These results point towards a cognitive role of the cerebellum.

Read our publication or a short summary.

Click here for the press release of the Rockefeller University on our paper.